Early voting hours and locations greatly expanded across the state this week as the campaign season entered its final two-week stretch. According to the state elections board, 265,937 of the 795,085 requested mail ballots had been returned as of Monday, while 66,934 early votes had been cast and 1,009 grace period votes cast. The candidates for governor, meanwhile, continued their final pushes to get out the voters that have not yet cast a ballot. READ MORE   PLUS: Check out this special election message from IFB President Richard Guebert Jr. and Vice President Brian Duncan. WATCH

This week’s rain will help, but not solve, the low water levels on the Mississippi River, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford. “In many cases we need weeks of extensive rain,” he said. READ MORE

More than a dozen Corn Belt U.S. senators are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to make significant reforms to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) when the agency proposes new regulations around it later this year. READ MORE  

But he has an even greater appreciation for such care and efforts after an unfortunate harvest accident landed the McLean County Farm Bureau president in the hospital. The local ag community rallied around Hines and is on pace to have all his crops in the bin before Halloween. “I’m extremely grateful and blessed,” Hines said. READ MORE

  Ahead of the 2023 farm bill debate, economists at American Farm Bureau Federation published a series of articles looking at various provisions in the farm bill. Be sure to check out each of these Market Intel articles: What’s in the farm bill for livestock producers? Provisions related to livestock inspection restrictions first appeared in the farm bill in 1996 and have had a limited place in the legislation ever since. READ MORE Agricultural trade and food assistance programs. Title III of the 2018 farm bill, commonly referred to as the trade title, includes international food assistance programs, export market

The traffic jam on the Mississippi River caused by some of the lowest water levels in a decade will likely continue near term. What does that mean to farmers and others who depend on barges to ship or receive products? READ MORE